LSU Featured Heavily On Women's Basketball All-SEC Postseason Awards

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson, Alexis Morris, Angel Reese and Sa’Myah Smith all earned accolades on Thursday’s All-SEC Postseason Awards.

Reese: First Team All-SEC, SEC All-Defensive Team
Morris: First Team All-SEC
Johnson*: SEC Freshman of the Year, SEC All-Freshman Team
Smith: SEC All-Freshman Team

* Johnson is the fourth LSU player to earn SEC Freshman of the Year, the most recent since LaSondra Barrett in 2009.

Reese:
Reese joined LSU prior to the season rated as the nation’s No. 1 impact transfer and she made an immediate impact for the Tigers, leading the SEC with 23.7 (four more than the next closest player) points per game and 16.0 rebounds per game (six more than the next closest).

She recorded a double-double in the first 23 games of the season, the longest streak in LSU history and the longest streak by a SEC player ever to begin a season. Through 28 games, Reese has 27 double-doubles, tied with Sylvia Fowles for the most ever in a season by an LSU player.

With seven SEC Player of the Week honors throughout the week, including the final two weeks of the regular season, Reese set the conference record.

Reese has five games this season with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds to lead the nation. Prior to this season, there were only 19 recorded 20/20 games in program history.

Against Texas A&M on January 5 in Baton Rouge, Reese went for 26 points and a LSU record 28 rebounds – the most by a player in the SEC since the conference started sponsoring women’s basketball during the 1981-82 season.

Against Ole Miss on February 16, Reese had another impressive performance. She set a career-high with 36 points and hauled in 20 rebounds against Ole Miss, her fourth game of the season with 20+ points and 20+ rebounds. It marked the first time since 1978 (Maree Jackson) that a LSU player had 30+ points or 35+ points and 20+ rebounds. It marked the 11th time in LSU history a player had 30 and 20 and it was the seventh time a player had 35 and 20.

Jackson had previously recorded all of LSU's 35/20 games. Julie Gross had one 30/20 game. Gross, Jackson and Reese are the only three players in LSU history to record 30/20 games.

Reese's 36 points were the most by a LSU player since Cornelia Gayden scored 49 vs. Jackson State in 1995.

The Baltimore, Maryland native has made history at every turn throughout the season.

In LSU's win over Lamar on December 14, Reese did something that no pro or college basketball player has done in at least the past 20 years per @OptaStats on twitter. Reese is the only NBA, WNBA or Division I men's or women's player in the last 20 years to have at least 30+ points, 15+ rebounds, 4+ assists, 4+ steals and shoot over 80-percent in the same game.

With 30-point games against Lamar and Montana St., Reese became the first LSU player since Elaine Powell in the 1995-96 season with consecutive 30+ point games.

At Florida on February 19, Reese had 25 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals in LSU's win at Florida, marking the first time over the past 20 seasons that an SEC players has had at least 25 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists in a conference game.


Morris:
In her second year at LSU, Morris has continued to flourish as one of the top guards in the league. Scoring 14.5 points (13th in the SEC) and dishing out 4.2 assists per game (5th in the SEC), Morris has run the LSU offense efficiently and effectively.

In a new role this year running the point guard position, Morris has starred in her role on the court. She has six games this year with at least 20 points and 14 games with at least five assists.

In LSU's 25-point New Year's Day win over Vanderbilt Morris was efficient and effective on the offensive end, recording her first career double-double. She scored 15 points and dished out a career-high 12 assists to allow the best offense in the nation to run efficiently.

Morris was electric in LSU’s January 30 win over Tennessee. She scored a career-high 31 points in LSU's win over Tennessee. She also had 6 rebounds and 5 steals as well as 3 assists. She is the first LSU player with 30+ points, 5+ rebounds and 5+ rebounds in a game.

She also shined in LSU game at No. 1 South Carolina, leading a comeback attempt for LSU after the Tigers fell behind quickly, 18-2. Morris finished the game with 23 points and 6 rebounds and her performance late in the first quarter and throughout the second quarter allowed the Tigers to claw back within 3 of South Carolina before halftime before the Gamecocks extended their lead.


Johnson:
Johnson came to LSU as a highly touted freshman ranked as the No. 26 player in the nation. She made an immediate impact in Baton Rouge, scoring 11.6 points per game and bringing down 5.9 rebounds per game. She was named SEC Freshman of the Week three times.

Her talent was on display right out of the gate. In her collegiate debut the Savannah, Georgia native scored 14 points and grabbed 8 rebounds while also recording 2 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal. Through her first week of college basketball, Johnson scored in double-figures all three games.

In LSU’s SEC opener, Johnson came to play at Arkansas on December 29. She recorded her second double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds to help lead LSU to a win to begin conference play.

Johnson was critical for LSU in its win over Arkansas a few weeks later on January 19 when she grabbed a big offensive board off a missed free throw and sank four free throws in the game’s final 16 seconds to secure the win.


Smith:
Smith has been one of three forwards in the rotation for LSU throughout the season and has rose to the occasion multiple times. She is just beginning to tap into her full potential. She has averaged 5.3 points and 4.5 assists this season. She also averages 1.4 blocks per game to rank ninth in the SEC.

Smith came to LSU having won back-to-back Texas 6A State Championships at DeSoto High School. In her collegiate debut, Smith showed she has the capability to play at the next level. In her first game at LSU, Smith recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebound (6 offensive).

Against Georgia on February 2, Smith helped LSU get the with with 10 points and 5 rebounds. She also played well coming off the bench at South Carolina with 7 points and six rebounds.

First Team All-SEC
Brittany Davis, Alabama
Alexis Morris, LSU
Angel Reese, LSU
Angel Baker, Ole Miss
Aliyah Boston, South Carolina
Zia Cooke, South Carolina
Jordan Horston, Tennessee
Rickea Jackson, Tennessee

Second Team All-SEC
Erynn Barnum, Arkansas
Aicha Coulibaly, Auburn
Diamond Battles, Georgia
Madison Scott, Ole Miss
Jessika Carter, Mississippi State
Hayley Frank, Missouri
Kamilla Cardoso, South Carolina
Ciaja Harbison, Vanderbilt

All-Freshman
Saylor Poffenbarger, Arkansas
Flau’jae Johnson, LSU
Sa’Myah Smith, LSU
Debreasha Powe, Mississippi State
Ashton Judd, Missouri
Raven Johnson, South Carolina
Janiah Barker, Texas A&M
Sydney Bowles, Texas A&M

All-Defensive
Diamond Battles, Georgia
Angel Reese, LSU
Madison Scott, Ole Miss
Jessika Carter, Mississippi State
Brea Beal, South Carolina
Aliyah Boston, South Carolina

Player of the Year – Aliyah Boston, South Carolina
Freshman of the Year – Flau’jae Johnson, LSU
Defensive Player of the Year – Aliyah Boston, South Carolina
6th Woman of the Year – Kamilla Cardoso, South Carolina
Scholar-Athlete of the Year – Hannah Barber, Alabama
Coach of the Year – Dawn Staley, South Carolina